Filipino-Style Chicharon Recipe You Can Make at Home

Who doesn’t enjoy munching down some good old chicharon? Whether you want to enjoy it with rice or munch it down on its own, chicharon can be eaten and enjoyed at any time of the day.

Chicharon or pork rind is a dish that is popular in the independent Spanish community of Andalusia and South America. It was the Spaniards who first introduced chicharon to the Philippines and thereby becomes one of the popular Filipino snacks. Aside from pork, other variations of chicharon began to sprout in the culinary world, including beef chicharon and chicken skin chicharon.

Today, this recipe will teach you how to make your own deep fried pork “Filipino-style” chicharon at home.

Crispy Filipino-Style Chicharon Recipe

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Ingredients

Pork rinds:

Lard or peanut oil

1 large piece of pork skin, trim the excess fat and nipples until skin portion is ¼ inch thick and 1 ½ pounds in weight.

Five-spice seasoning blend:

1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Spicy/sweet seasoning blend:

1½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon maple sugar

½ chili powder

For the dipping sauce:

½ cup vinegar

2 tablespoons fish sauce (patis)

1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 cloves of smashed garlic

Steps

Preparing the pork rinds

Put the pork skin a large pot and cover with water and weigh down with a plate to keep it submerged.

Boil the water and wait until skin is soft and pliable (this typically takes 1 ½ to 2 hours).

Remove with a slotted spoon and arrange skin to even layers over a baking sheet, make sure you don’t fold.

Store in fridge for another 2 hours.

Once the skin is cold, use a spoon to remove subcutaneous fat and place on a rack to dry overnight.

Preparing the mix/blends

Mix all ingredients in separate bowls and set aside.

Frying the pork skins

Slice skin into 1-inch square pieces.

Heat a deep-frying pot with 4 inches of lard or peanut oil to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fry one piece at a time until puffy and crispy.

Place over a paper-towel-lined tray and season with one of the blends while hot.